People were thought to be divided into only two categories for a long time. Depending on your personality type, you were either an introvert or an extrovert. Our personality types, like gender, are a spectrum, which comes as no surprise to anyone. It gives people like myself (omnivert) a spot that feels a little more familiar with the addition of Ambivert and Omnivert as fuzzy intermediate grounds.
Because I am an omnivert and have personal experience with it, I’d like to discuss what it means and how it impacts me and others like me. I’d also want to add the following disclaimer:
I’m not a medical or mental expert. This is only my lived experience and thoughts; I am not an authorized source on any of these topics.
Now that we’ve brought that out of the path, let’s move on. What does it mean to be an omnivert? An omnivert exhibits conventional qualities of both introverts and extroverts in specific contexts. For example, I can be the life of any party, fluttering around the room, engaging in conversation with various individuals for hours on end while thriving. No issue, it’s as simple as pie! However, I’ll need two days of isolation to replenish my social reserves after the party. Soft music, hot beverages, long novels, and fuzzy socks will be required. I’m going to switch off my phone and probably won’t respond to messages on social media. When I feel lonely, I know my social batteries are depleted.
Here’s the thing with me: I require both leisure and action to recharge and deplete my batteries. When my batteries are overcharged for an extended period, I get agitated and irritable, and I am much less enjoyable to be around. If they’re empty for too long, I’ll use dissociative behaviors to create detachment, such as looking at nothing on my phone, blanking out in the middle of a discussion, or making long and pointless trips to the restroom to have some alone time. In summary, I require the assistance of others regularly, but not always.
The second factor is who I spend out with, which may be isolating for many of my friends. I go through steps where I spend time with one person or group before moving on to the next person or group. This has to do with the amount of social energy that each group expects from me. When I need to be with people and recharge, I tend to hang out with my more laid-back buddies. When my batteries are depleted, I prefer to go to someone’s place and watch movies in companionable silence.
This, I believe, is why I’ve felt such a sense of friendship and camaraderie with folks I’ve met and interacted with online. I can share all of my love, support, and humor without putting on airs. I can be honest without putting on a fake smile or double-checking my posture. To put it another way, it’s entirely social with very little of the energy expended in face-to-face encounters.
No one likes being told that they don’t have the energy to hang out to discover that they have spent their time with someone else. But, as I previously indicated, this can be alienating for my friends who aren’t in the current cycle, and I understand how hurtful it can feel. My purpose is never to be harsh, but how do you say something kind of like, “I don’t have the energy required to hang out with you.”
So, thank you for your ability to adapt and not take it personally to all of my great and accepting friends who have put up with my unusual social eccentricities.
This release is articulated by Prittle Prattle News in the form of an authored article.
